Emotional Recovery After a Natural Disaster
The recent tornado in Middle Tennessee has taken an emotional toll on people in the affected and surrounding areas. You may have lost family or friends, your home, or your workplace. Even if your family, home, or work wasn’t directly impacted, you’ve likely watched the news and seen the photos of the devastation online. If you were in the storm’s path, you may have feared that you would lose your life or everything in it. You may be upset seeing that places you once frequented are no longer standing. Your school may be gone. There are many reactions one might have to events like this, and it’s important to understand your own reaction, as well as those of the people around you.
What Happens to Us After a Natural Disaster?
In the immediate aftermath, many people may be in shock. You might feel disoriented or disconnected from your surroundings. You may do things that seem out of the ordinary when you consider what just happened. You may be charging forward towards physical recovery and clean up while being completely unaware of the emotional impact the event has had on you. Once the initial shock wears off, you may begin to notice some of the following:
Physical symptoms: These commonly include headaches, shaking hands, nausea, chest pain, or difficulty breathing. These may exacerbate other medical conditions, as well. These symptoms may be mild and pass on their own, or they may need medical attention.
Feeling out of control: You may find yourself reacting in ways that feel foreign to you. You might experience really intense emotions, or you could be more easily irritated than usual. You may be very angry and feel like you can’t control where it comes out. This may lead to more difficult interactions with people close to you, too. You may notice these feelings and feel powerless to change them.
Changes in the way you think: You may find yourself feeling more fearful in your day to day life, or may even have trouble not thinking about what happened. You might struggle to concentrate because you are distracted by thoughts of what happened, or you might find yourself “zoning out” and not know why.
Changes in self-care: You may find it difficult to sleep or you might find yourself sleeping far more than you normally would. You might realize you aren’t eating regularly or enough, or you might find yourself overeating. You may find yourself being overly social or avoiding social interaction altogether.
You might have new triggers: Sounds that used to be background noise may now cause your heartrate to rise, your palms to sweat, and your emotions to become quickly dysregulated. You might also notice a new sensitivity to certain smells, locations, or times of day.
How Do You Deal with It?
Generally speaking, most of us are pretty resilient. Although we may experience increased stress and anxiety and maybe even trauma symptoms after a disaster, most of us will return to our normal selves within a few months or so after the event. There are some things you can do to help you recover:
Remember that it takes time. Your brain and body have been through a lot, so give them both time to recuperate and come back into balance. Let yourself experience the emotions that come up for you, without judging them. Your feelings are there for a reason. Respect and trust that your brain is working through its own process, and there’s not a specific timeframe or path you should have to recovery.
If you can, get back to your routine. Routines help us feel safe and secure. As soon as you can, get back to doing the things that you have done automatically for as long as you can remember. That routine before bedtime? It’s important. Stick with it. The order of things when you wake up in the morning? Yep, that’s important, too. Give yourself the gift of that small bit of normalcy as soon as you can.
Practice self-care. It can feel easier to neglect your own needs to do what needs to be done. It might be hard to do the things you normally do, but it is even more important to take care of yourself right now. Give yourself time for sleep, exercise, and eating meals.
Share your experience. Getting what you’ve been through or witnessed out of your head can be helpful. For some people, talking to others, whether friends, family, or at a support group, is necessary. For other people, that can feel overwhelming, so writing in your journal or posting on reddit might be better for you.
Ask for help. Whether you just need time with your friends or family or you need help to literally pick up the pieces of your life, ask for what you need. In times like this, people show up for you, even if they’re complete strangers.
Help someone else. If Nashville shows us anything, it’s that helping your neighbor has the power to change how you feel. It helps you feel like you have some control in the situation, and also helps your friends and neighbors know that you care about them. That sense of community can be very healing for you and everyone around you.
Use skills. There are many useful skills to manage symptoms of anxiety if you’re having them. You can try Five Senses Grounding, Distraction, 4-7-8 Breathing, or Using Temperature to Reduce Anxiety. You can also try a quick burst of exercise (I recommend jumping jacks or running up and down stairs) if you find yourself overwhelmed by thoughts of what happened or really high anxiety. Progressive Muscle Relaxation can be helpful if you’re struggling with sleep.
Some of us might want or need extra support, and it’s a good idea to reach out for help as soon as you realize you want or need it. If you don’t have a therapist and aren’t sure where to start, read more about finding the right therapist for you here. If you have a therapist, let them know you’re struggling. They have the skills to help you through this process.